American Individual Linked to Aussie Gunmen Strikes Plea Deal with Federal Attorneys
An American citizen linked with the culprits behind the fatal Wieambilla, Australia attack that claimed the lives of six individuals – among them two officers from Queensland – has accepted a less severe plea agreement.
Resident of Arizona Donald Day Jr. will face court on 21 October after striking the plea deal with American authorities.
The individual with prior convictions, known online as “Geronimo's Bones”, is expected to admit guilt to a single offense of illegally owning firearms and ammunition in a deal to be approved by the judiciary in the current month.
Links to Australian Shooters
Investigators confirmed clear connections between Day and Gareth and Stacey Train through digital communications.
This couple, along with Nathaniel Train, killed officers from Queensland Arnold and McCrow, and neighbor Alan Dare at a remote property in Wieambilla in 2022.
They were killed in a gun battle with law enforcement, following a extended standoff at the regional property.
US prosecutors stated the accused corresponded via online platforms with the perpetrators around the time of the deadly ambush.
He described Queensland police as “malignant, malformed and malevolent”, and said they should be shown “no mercy whatsoever”, informing the Trains he wanted to be at the scene physically.
Legal filings outlined how the couple had uploaded an apocalyptic recording on YouTube after the incident, saying authorities “attempted to kill us, and we retaliated”.
“If you don’t defend yourself against these devils and demons, you’re a coward … We will meet you at home, Don. With love,” they said.
Firearms Cache and Court Case
Legal records show the defendant accumulated a collection of nine high-powered firearms and numerous bullets of ammunition at a country estate in Heber, AZ, that was outfitted with a gun range, weapons room and sniper hide.
“The guns and ammo were stored in the trailer I occupied with S.S., within a space we named the 'gun room',” he admitted in the agreement submitted in court.
He said he regularly accessed both the weapons storage and the weapons, and also instructed others on how to operate the guns correctly.
The plea deal will result in charges dropped that relate to the accused issuing threats to officials and FBI agents.
According to court documents, Day had been prohibited from possessing weapons and firearms because of his history of violent crimes.
The defendant, who has served 24 months in custody, faces a highest sentence of up to 15 years imprisonment in prison or a fine of US$250,000 (A$381,500), but the agreement stipulates he will be sentenced under the minimum range of the legal sentencing standards.
